Download Other ASO recordings use the spelling Rachmaninoff, so I

Other ASO recordings use the spelling Rachmaninoff, so I recommend this spelling
for consistency. --GTR
Sergei Rachmaninoff was born in Semyonovo, Russia, on April 1, 1873, and died in
Beverly Hills, California, on March 28, 1943.
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Opus 30 (1909)
The first performance of the Third Piano Concerto took place at the New Theater in
New York City on November 28, 1909, with the composer as soloist, and Walter
Damrosch conducting the Symphony Society of New York. In addition to the solo
piano, the Concerto is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons,
four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, snare
drum, suspended cymbals, and strings.
“I’ll be able to buy myself that automobile”
In the summer of 1909, Sergei Rachmaninoff received an invitation to make his first
concert tour of the United States. The Russian pianist/composer/conductor had grave
misgivings about leaving his family and homeland for such an extended period of time.
However, considerations of a decidedly non-musical nature seemed to provide some
consolation. According to biographer Oskar von Riesemann, in the early part of the
twentieth century Rachmaninoff developed a passion for motorcars:
While in the country he frequently made long or short expeditions…These
journeys were his greatest recreation, and never tired him; he invariably
returned happy and refreshed and in the best of tempers. As he said
himself, it was only when driving the car that he could get away from the
musical visions which constantly pursued him.
Rachmaninoff considered the generous fees he would earn during the American tour, and
finally accepted. As he confessed to his friend, Nikita Morozov: “I don’t want to go. But
then perhaps after America I’ll be able to buy myself that automobile…It may not be so
bad after all!”
The American concert tour featured Rachmaninoff as both pianist and conductor in
performances of his compositions. During the summer of 1909, he authored a new work
to be premiered during that tour—his Third Piano Concerto. Rachmaninoff composed
the D-minor Concerto while vacationing at his retreat in Ivanovka, located some 300
miles south of Moscow. In October of that year, Rachmaninoff began his voyage to the
United States. The composer later recalled:
As during the previous summer I had not found much time for practicing
and was not familiar enough with some passages, I took a dumb piano
(i.e., silent keyboard) on the boat with me and practiced during the
journey. I believe it is the only time that I have resorted to this mechanical
toy, which, however, at the time proved very useful.
Rachmaninoff and Mahler
On November 28, 1909, Rachmaninoff appeared as soloist in the world premiere of his
Third Piano Concerto, which took place at the New Theater in New York City. Walter
Damrosch conducted the Symphony Society of New York. On January 16, 1910, an
historic collaboration took place at Carnegie Hall, when Rachmaninoff again performed
his Third Piano Concerto—this time with the New York Philharmonic. The conductor
was the Orchestra’s Music Director, the great Austrian composer Gustav Mahler.
Rachmaninoff deemed Mahler:
the only conductor whom I considered worthy to be classed with (Arthur)
Nikisch. He touched my composer’s heart straight away by devoting
himself to my Concerto until the accompaniment, which is rather
complicated, had been practiced to the point of perfection, although he had
already gone through another long rehearsal. According to Mahler, every
detail of the score was important—an attitude which is unfortunately rare
amongst conductors.
The rehearsal began at ten o’clock. I was to join it at eleven, and arrived
in good time. But we did not begin to work until twelve, when there was
only a half hour left, during which I did my utmost to play through a
composition that usually lasts thirty-six minutes. We played and
played…Half an hour was long passed, but Mahler did not pay the
slightest attention to this fact…
Forty-five minutes later Mahler announced:
“Now we will repeat the first movement.”
My heart froze within me. I expected a dreadful row, or at least a heated
protest from the orchestra. This would certainly have happened in any
other orchestra, but here I did not notice a single sign of displeasure. The
musicians played the first movement with a keen or perhaps even closer
appreciation than the previous time. At last we had finished. I went up to
the conductor’s desk, and together we examined the score. The musicians
in the back seats began quietly to pack up their instruments and disappear.
Mahler blew up:
“What is the meaning of this?”
The leader (i.e., concertmaster): “It is half-past one, Master.”
“That makes no difference! As long as I am sitting, no musician has a
right to get up!”
The talents and hard work of Rachmaninoff, Mahler and the orchestra produced a sterling
performance of the new Concerto. As the New York Herald reported the following day:
The impression made at the earlier performances of the essential dignity
and beauty of the music and the composer’s playing was deepened, and
the audience was quite as enthusiastic in its expression of appreciation as
at the performance at The New Theater on 28 November last and at the
Carnegie Hall two days later.
Then, the New York Herald critic offered this prophetic commentary about the
Rachmaninoff Third:
The work grows in impressiveness upon acquaintance and will doubtless
rank among the most interesting piano concertos of recent years, although
its great length and extreme difficulties bar it from performances by any
but pianists of exceptional technical powers.
We’re fortunate that there have been many superb artists willing to tackle the
phenomenal technical demands imposed by Rachmaninoff, who was, after all, one of the
greatest virtuoso pianists. When the hurdles are overcome, the Rachmaninoff Third
emerges as a summit of the Romantic piano concerto repertoire—a masterful fusion of
virtuoso pyrotechnics, unforgettable melody, and lush orchestration.
Musical Analysis
I. Allegro ma non tanto—After two bars of orchestral introduction, the soloist enters with
the undulating principal melody, scored in octaves, with each hand playing a single note.
The soloist’s lightning-quick passagework serves to accompany the orchestra’s
restatement of the theme. A brief unaccompanied episode for the soloist leads to a
broader presentation of the opening theme. Fanfares herald the second theme, soon
played in its complete form by the soloist. The development section begins in much the
same manner as the opening of the movement, but soon ventures into flights of stunning
display for the soloist. An extended, fully-composed cadenza for the pianist also briefly
incorporates the solo flute, oboe, clarinet, and two horns. Instead of the traditional full
recapitulation, the movement closes with a restatement of the opening melody and a brief
reminiscence of the second theme.
II. Intermezzo: Adagio—The Intermezzo begins with an extended, somber orchestral
introduction whose central theme—initially played by a solo oboe—bears a kinship to a
portion of the principal melody of the opening Allegro. The soloist enters with rhapsodic
variants of the theme. A contrasting, vivacious scherzando passage features yet another
transformation of the opening movement’s principal melody, now played by a solo
clarinet and bassoon. After a brief reprise of the opening portion of the Intermezzo, the
soloist launches a dramatic passage. This serves as the bridge to the Finale, which
follows without pause.
III. Finale: Alla breve—The soloist presents the fanfare-like opening theme, derived from
the introductory measures of the first movement. A series of syncopated chords by the
soloist develops into the flowing second theme. Two subsequent episodes—a breezy
Scherzando and more reflective Lento—present echoes of the opening Allegro. A varied
reprise of the Finale’s first section leads to the grand resolution of the Concerto—a
glorious declaration of the second theme, capped by a dazzling cascade by the soloist.
Symphonic Dances, Opus 45 (1940)
The first performance of the Symphonic Dances took place at the Academy of Music
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 3, 1941, with Eugene Ormandy
conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Symphonic Dances are scored for
piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, alto
saxophone, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three
trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, piano, bass drum, chimes, cymbals, snare drum,
orchestra bells, tam-tam, tambourine, triangle, xylophone, and strings.
On June 30, 1938, Russian choreographer Michel Fokine presented the world premiere of
Paganini, his ballet adaptation of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s work for solo piano and
orchestra, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 43 (1934). Rachmaninoff hoped to
attend the London performance, but an injury sustained after a fall made that impossible.
Rachmaninoff soon regained his health, and the great composer/pianist resumed a
demanding European and American concert tour. Finally, in the spring of 1940,
Rachmaninoff was able to enjoy a period of rest. He traveled to Orchard Point, an estate
near Huntington, Long Island. There, Rachmaninoff composed his final work, the
Symphonic Dances.
“My last spark”
It appears that Rachmaninoff first conceived the Symphonic Dances as another potential
ballet subject for Fokine. Rachmaninoff originally entitled the work “Fantastic Dances,”
with the three movements representing “Midday,” “Twilight,” and “Midnight.”
(Rachmaninoff later discarded these titles and designated the various movements simply
by their tempo markings.) Prior to orchestrating the work, Rachmaninoff played excerpts
of the Dances on the piano for Fokine. However, the choreographer’s death in 1942
prevented any contemplated ballet from becoming a reality.
Rachmaninoff initially scored his Symphonic Dances for two pianos, before completing
the orchestration in the autumn of 1940. He dedicated the work to conductor Eugene
Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, who gave the premiere of the Symphonic
Dances on January 3, 1941. The initial critical reception was not enthusiastic. However,
Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances soon become widely admired as perhaps the
composer’s finest orchestral achievement. Rachmaninoff himself was rather surprised by
his accomplishment, observing: “I don’t know how it happened, it must have been my
last spark.”
Rachmaninoff, who died two years after the premiere of his Symphonic Dances, never
composed another work. While it is not clear that Rachmaninoff intended the Symphonic
Dances to be his final composition, the piece does have a decidedly valedictory character.
The Symphonic Dances feature quotations of earlier Rachmaninoff compositions, as well
as the Dies Irae (“Day of Wrath”) chant—a recurring leitmotif in the Russian
pianist/composer’s music. Further, the masterful orchestration, captivating melodies, and
brilliant juxtaposition of dramatic and lyric elements are all trademarks of
Rachmaninoff’s art.
Musical Analysis
I. Non allegro—Over furtive string accompaniment, various winds quietly introduce the
opening movement’s principal motif, based upon a “short—short—long” rhythmic
figure. Soon, the motif is presented in a far more aggressive fashion. An expansive,
lyrical interlude (Lento) features a solo alto saxophone, the only time that Rachmaninoff
included this instrument in his music (Here, the composer sought the advice of his friend,
Broadway orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett). The strings soon repeat the beautiful
saxophone melody. A mysterious transitional passage leads to a reprise of the
movement’s opening section. The coda features hints of the “short—short—long” motif.
There is also a quotation by the strings of Rachmaninoff’s First Symphony, a work that
received a disastrous premiere in 1897. The First Symphony was neither published, nor
again performed during the composer's lifetime.
II. Andante con moto (Tempo di valse)—Ominous brass fanfares and swirling wind
figures serve as a preamble to an extended, melancholy (and brilliantly scored) waltz. An
agitated coda serves to conclude this central movement.
III. Lento assai; Allegro vivace—The finale opens with a brief slow introduction (Lento
assai), featuring a sforzando chord, followed by a string fanfare and a descending
woodwind passage. The orchestra launches into the finale’s principal Allegro vivace
section, a fantasia on the Dies Irae, in which the foreboding plainchant is presented in
various instrumental and rhythmic guises. As in the opening movement, the finale offers
a lengthy contrasting central episode in slow tempo (Lento assai. Come prima). Fanfares
by the winds and strings herald the return of the Allegro vivace. Soon, however, the Dies
Irae is confronted by another, syncopated melody. It is an orchestral setting of a portion
of the chorus, “Blessed Art Thou, O Lord,” from Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, Opus 37
(1915). After the Vespers quotation, the Symphonic Dances hurtles to its resolute close,
with five emphatic sforzando-forte chords.
-- Ken Meltzer